I have been on the Atkins program since January 3rd. I want to lose 16 lbs and have lost 13. I am a very active retiree and am involved in running(former marathon/ultra marathon runner), biking, hiking, and golfing. I have always had a great ratio with my overall cholesterol. My HDL is usually around 100, LDL around 120 and overall Cholesterol around 235.

After 5 weeks on the Atkins, my Cholesterol jumped to 321, HDL TO 107, LDL TO 195 with smaller increases in the rest of my blood work but in the normal range except for the above.

I feel good but am concerned about these increases. There is no other explanation for these readings as far as I know. Perhaps I need to wait for a longer period of time to see if my Cholesterol stabilizes.

Any ideas for me. I expected to at least stay close to my regular Cholesterol readings.

I am considering going off the Atkins if these readings continue.

This sometimes happens when weight loss is rapid and it's really not cause for alarm. Your HDL is phenomenal and very protective against heart disease no matter what the other readings are doing.
I'd suggest that you wait about 6 months before you get it checked again and then re-evaluate; 5 weeks into a plan is too soon. Even Dr. Atkins recommends waiting at least 6 weeks before getting a re-check. Mine was still up after about 4 months, but dropped lower than before I started within a year.

Thanks for your response. I will take your advice and wait awhile before having it checked again. It really concerned me since I am following the Atkins program and see the results. The one item I removed from my diet is beer, the micro-brew type. I don't think that would have an affect in raising it. It must be the cheese, eggs, etc. that causes it to rise initially.

I will let you know in the future.

Actually, just losing weight in and of itself can often cause a temporary rise. The fat stores that you are burning for energy have to be moved into your bloodstream before they can be broken down and used by the cells for energy. You didn't report what your triglycerides look like, but they should have dropped sharply.
Generally, dietary cholesterol has very little impact on serum cholesterol; most (around 80%) of the cholesterol in your bloodstream is produced by your own body. Cutting dietary cholesterol "turns on" the cholesterol producing factory in your body and the type produced is usually the bad LDL kind.
Some people do see a continued increase in their serum cholesterol despite low carb and those people may benefit from cutting out eggs and red meat. Not because of the fats that they contain, but because they may have a sensitivity to arachidonic acid which is found in red meat and egg yolks.
Cholesterol isn't as evil as we have all been led to believe. Your body actually needs it to a great degree which is why it will start producing more of its own when dietary cholesterol is cut.
Give it another 6 months or so and then reassess based on those tests.
In the mean time, you may want to read some of the very interesting posts in this forum on the lack of evidence for the cholesterol/heart disease connection. I'll also give you a link to a very interesting article on the whole subject here: http://www.redflagsweekly.com/kendrick/2002_nov28.html

Lisa,

My triglycerides went from 94 to 116. My uric acid also increased to 8.1. I agree that I need to wait awhile for my next blood work.
I may need to cut down on the eggs and cheese but that will not be easy especially in the a.m.

My wife also started the same program at the same time. Her cholesterol increased modestly to 228 but her HDL rose to 155 which is great. Her LDL is only 70. One concern is that her urea nitrogen serum rose to 29 and her bun/creat ratio is at 36.3. I don't know if this is related to the low carb diet. We will probably forward her blood work to her physician. She is a nurse and has a better understanding of the blood work.

We are both very active and needed to lose a modest amount of weight. My goal is 16 lbs and I am close to that and hers is 10 and she is about 3 lbs away.

Thanks for your responses and support.

Ralph